Lions Face Steep Climb

Senior guard Marcus Smith sounded a call that may have struck a nerve with the Loyola Marymount men’s basketball team. It was only an exhibition game and, in the end, it will be long forgotten. But whether the opponent is Pro Hoops Australia or Gonzaga, the Lions aren’t to the point where victory is assumed.

“I would like to say that we’re real confident but after we lost that exhibition game [to Pro Hoops], it was like a wake-up call for everybody,” Smith said.

“In the heat of the battle, we all have to rally around each other and compete as a team. The more games we get under our belt, the more we’re going to be able to do that.”

Maybe that is the message Loyola needs to hear. The Lions believe they are past moral victories. The question is whether they are ready to win, and win often.

Steve Aggers, Loyola’s second-year coach, said it’s a valid question for a program that’s still trying to climb out of a deep hole.

“We’ve got to remember where we’re at,” said Aggers, whose Lions finished 9-19 last season. “I think we’ve changed the perception of the program, there’s no question about that.... Really, we overachieved. But we’re still in a massive rebuilding situation.”

In some seasons, a 9-19 record might mean a coaching shake-up. For Loyola, it was a season that fostered optimism.

Using tough defense and a patient, low-risk offense, the Lions won seven more games than the 1999-2000 team. Their comeback from a 2-26 season could have been more impressive had they won any of the six games they lost by five points or fewer.

Aggers worked on restocking the cupboard. He addressed the Lions’ lack of height by recruiting Colorado prep star Andy Osborn and junior college transfer Miroslav Neskovic. He looked to the future in signing point guard Charles Brown of Concord De La Salle High.

Loyola also appeared to have scored a coup in getting a commitment from 6-foot-9 Australian forward Oscar Forman. Then Forman chose to play professionally in his homeland, so instead of Forman starting alongside returning forward Greg Lakey, it will be Osborn.

Only eight months ago, the 6-9 freshman was leading Longmont to a 22-1 record and the Colorado state quarterfinals.

In two exhibitions, Osborn averaged 12 points and 11.5 rebounds.

Brown is also being counted on for immediate contributions. Eurskine Robinson, the starting point guard and team leader, is sidelined three to four weeks after injuring his left foot against Pro Hoops.

Eventually, Loyola’s hope for improvement will hinge on the enigmatic Lakey, a senior. In his first season after transferring from USC, Lakey averaged 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds.

At times, he looked like the force he was expected to be. Other times, he got into foul trouble and disappeared. Lakey, who had off-season foot surgery, vows that won’t happen this season. One improvement, he gained 25 pounds and is now carrying 235 on his 6-9 frame.

The Lions also return guard Robert Davis, their leading scorer last season at 11.9 points a game.

Guard Kent Dennis and swingman Keith Kincade, both sophomores, are eligible after transferring from West Virginia and are expected to be the first players off a deeper bench.

Will the Lions be better, especially with a tough schedule that includes Elite Eight participant USC, Big West Conference champion UC Irvine, Nevada Las Vegas and UC Santa Barbara besides the usual West Coast Conference powers?

“The games that were lost last [season] were probably due to lack of confidence,” Aggers said. “Our program has to get tougher-minded and it begins in those last five minutes.”